A trained concert pianist whose dexterity helped her as an obstetrician, Dr. Laura Stachel was a busy clinician for two decades. When a back injury sidelined her medical career in her mid-40s, she went back to school, getting a master’s in public health. At 51, she cofounded We Care Solar, a solar energy nonprofit that provides «solar suitcases» to underserved health clinics and hospitals in Africa.
Stachel’s goal is to ensure that no mother (or child) dies while giving birth in the dark, a real issue for birthing parents in low and middle income countries. To date, 6,000 briefcases filled with solar-powered lighting and emergency communication tools have helped more than 7.5 million mothers and newborns.
The inaugural class of entrepreneurs, leaders and creators are part of an exhilarating movement redefining life’s second half and proving that success has no age limit. These dynamic women, growing older is about getting wiser—and bolder.
Selected from a pool of more than 10,000 nominees, the members of the 50 Over 50 are founding and running companies at scale ($20 million or more in revenue for for-profit companies), leading movements and changing the world. They’re working across all sectors of the American economy—venture capital, education, politics, major league sports and more—and, importantly, they’re paying forward their after-50 success.
In a moment when a global pandemic has pushed a disproportionate number of women out of the workforce—and, among this demographic, forced hundreds of thousands into too-early retirements—it is our hope that the stories of the women on this list resonate, inform and inspire.
To bring this list to life, Forbes partnered with Mika Brzezinski, a journalist, best-selling author, co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe and founder of Know Your Value, a digital platform and community focused on empowering women to express their personal worth and achieve gender equity in the workplace.
Read more about the 50 Over 50 honorees on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/50over50/
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How Dr. Laura Stachel Turned A Career Setback Into An Entrepreneurial Endeavour | Forbes